Solomon Thomas set to rock the NFL with San Francisco 49ers, talks about childhood in Australia

49ers rookie Solomon Thomas has come a long way from his time growing up in Sydney.Source: Supplied

IT won’t be long before San Francisco’s first pick in the NFL draft is flattening the league’s top quarterbacks, but right now 49ers rookie Solomon Thomas is content cradling a packet of Tim Tams in his old stomping ground in Sydney’s north.

There’s no denying the Aussie influence has remained strong in the 6-foot-3, 124kg defensive end. He’s expertly biting off each end of a Tim Tam to sip his coffee, and can’t stop fantasising about tucking into some barramundi for dinner.

“I miss everything about Australia. I miss the beaches, the people, the accents, the sayings,” Thomas told foxsports.com.au.

“I get so happy when I come back and I hear people say ‘Rubbish!’ or people say ‘I’m going to the dunny’. It just brings back memories.

“But I really do miss the fish and chips.”

Solomon Thomas poses with Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell after being picked #3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers.Source: AFP

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

He was born in Chicago and when Thomas was two years old his father, a sales manager for Proctor & Gamble, moved the family to Sydney. They stayed for about five years before returning to the USA. A few years later, in Coppell, Texas, Thomas’ love for American football was born.

Though his time here was brief, Thomas has many fond memories of growing up in Australia — from his swimming obsession and love of Ian Thorpe, to family trips to Uluru, Perth and the Great Barrier Reef — and he’s “stoked” to be back in town to promote the Sydney College Football Cup happening on August 27 between his former team the Stanford University Cardinals and Rice University.

In April, Thomas was in Philadelphia hearing his name called by commissioner Roger Goodell as the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, headed to the five-time Super Bowl champion 49ers.

This week at Middle Harbour Primary School in Mosman he’s reminiscing over a time capsule note buried in 2001 from when he was in kindergarten.

Solomon Thomas' time capsule note, found at his old primary school in Sydney. Picture: Melanie DinjaskiSource: Supplied

Beside an old picture of the a 5-year-old Thomas grinning ear to ear, the 16-year-old document lists his kindergarten friends at school, his favourite teacher, and his future aspirations (which have changed a little since then).

“When I grow up I want to be a.... police”, Thomas had put down in orange pencil, the ‘p’ adorably written facing the wrong way.

“Going back to my old school, it was beautiful there,” Thomas said.

“One teacher I had and one teacher I knew, they’re still there, so they’ve been there for 16 years which is incredible. They remembered me. She still had her mousepad which was my class picture and I was there in the top right corner.”

Thomas never became a police officer but completing his university and football education at Stanford and becoming a first-round draft pick for one of the biggest teams in the NFL isn’t too shabby.

“Both times I’ve been in Philly have been incredible,” Thomas said as his mother Martha reminds him of the first time he visited as a kid, being for a Prince concert while on a family trip.

“I was young, didn’t pay much attention at first but when ‘Purple Rain’ came on I was in love. That was the best song ever.”

Solomon Thomas with his mother Martha Thomas and father Chris Thomas on the red carpet prior to the start of the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia.Source: Getty Images

The only negative he can identify from his most recent trip to the City of Brotherly Love and the dream moment of getting ‘the call’ from 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan, was that he didn’t manage to get the attention of another music icon that dominates his playlist.

“My walkout song was ‘Upgrade U’ by Beyoncé,” Thomas said.

“I thought she would give me a shout-out after that, but it didn’t work. Life goes on.”

That’s humour, not arrogance.

Thomas is well aware of the opportunity that’s been given to him and the job ahead, trying to turn a team in rebuild mode coming off a season as one of the league’s worst defences, into genuine Super Bowl contenders.

In Thomas’ favour is a good head on his shoulders, a humble attitude, and an unrelenting work ethic to be the best he can be.

Whether he’s gushing about Prince or Beyoncé, or his favourite film series Star Wars — “Everyone wants Rey to be a Skywalker, but I think they’re going to stray away from that, and there’ll be other Jedi popping out that they have been hiding away” — Thomas speaks with the same enthusiasm on these topics as he does football.

“I’m really excited to work with Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Aaron Lynch and all the guys on the D-line. I can learn a lot from them,” Thomas said.

“I don’t go out there day one thinking I’m going to own the NFL. I have to work my way up and earn my stripes.”

“Reuben is awesome. His attitude is infectious and he loves football. I can’t wait to be on the field with him. I feel like we’re going to have a special bond,” Thomas said of his rookie teammate.

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch poses for photos with draft picks Reuben Foster, Solomon Thomas and head coach Kyle Shanahan.Source: AP

SHOWDOWN WITH TEAMMATE

The 21-year-old is most looking forward to pancaking top quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, but Week 1 of the regular season when the 49ers face the Carolina Panthers could see him in the unusual position of stuffing the run of his former Stanford teammate and no.8 draft pick Christian McCaffrey. Thomas won’t be doing the running back any favours on game day, though he tips big things for the Heismann Trophy runner-up.

“He’s going to have an explosive rookie year,” Thomas said.

“I’m excited for him to show everyone who said he’s just a college player, to shut them up, because he’s going to. There’s no doubt about it.”

Thomas and McCaffrey are just two examples of the high level of talent that has come out of the Stanford football program of late, including Australian-born offensive lineman and current Panthers player, David Yankey, who Thomas calls a “legend”.

It’s a good indicator of what will be on offer in August at Allianz Stadium when Stanford and Rice come to town following the success of last year’s Cal v Hawaii fixture.

“When I was here I had no clue what football was, but you see people excited for us, and they should be because college football is amazing game,” Thomas said.

“It’s so much fun to watch, and an electric atmosphere. It’ll be a lot of fun.”